Culinary Vietnam (23 page)

1
Rinse the rice in cool water until it runs clear; drain thoroughly.

2
Place the water in a lidded pot along with the rinsed rice and bring to a boil. Cover and boil for 1 minute; then reduce the heat to very low and cook for 15 minutes more. Turn off the heat and leave covered for 5 to 10 minutes before serving. Fluff with chopsticks or a fork.

Shrimp and Chicken Fried Rice

Com Chien Tom Ga

3 (2-inch) sections lemongrass, or 3 slices peeled ginger, slightly smashed, divided

2 teaspoons + 1 tablespoon fish or soy sauce

2 teaspoons sugar, divided

10 ounces skinless chicken thigh or breast meat, cut into bite-size pieces (you may also use leftover, grilled, roasted, or steamed chicken meat) 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided

12 ounces small-to-medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 clove garlic, peeled and lightly smashed

1 medium carrot, peeled and sliced diagonally

1-1/2 cups bite-size broccoli florets

1/2 cup sliced fresh mushrooms

1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and diced into 3/4-inch pieces

1 to 2 tablespoons fish sauce

1 teaspoon chile paste (optional)

2 tablespoons rice wine or dry sherry

2 scallions, sliced diagonally into 1/2-inch sections

2-1/2 cups cold cooked rice

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Serves 3 to 4 as a main dish

Vietnamese fried rice is much lighter than traditional Chinese style; it uses much less oil and is only lightly sauced. The possible combinations of additions to the rice are limitless, from just a vegetable or two and some aromatics to several kinds of meat, eggs, seafood, and vegetables. It is also a great outlet for leftover grilled and stir-fried meats. Use your best judgment, based on ingredients and size of pieces, as to what order you add them to the wok and cooking time to ensure that everything is done and nothing is overcooked.

1
Mince 1 stalk lemongrass or 1 slice ginger and combine with 2 teaspoons fish sauce, 1 teaspoon sugar, and the chicken.
NOTE:
If using cooked chicken, omit this step and the marinade ingredients.

2
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a wok. Add the chicken and stir-fry for 2 minutes, add the shrimp and continue cooking until the chicken is just done. Remove from the wok and reserve.

3
Heat the remaining oil in the wok, add the garlic and remaining lemongrass or ginger and fry for about 15 seconds. Add the carrot and broccoli, stir-frying for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms and bell pepper, and cook 2 minutes more. Remove the lemongrass and garlic, add the fish sauce, chile paste, remaining sugar, wine, and scallions to the vegetables; heat briefly and add the chicken and shrimp back to the pan. When everything is hot, add the rice and stir-fry until heated through. Serve garnished with the cilantro sprinkled over top.

The People and Flavors of The North

An overnight train ride from Hanoi northwest to Lao Cai, near the Chinese border, will put you in the heart of the ethnic minority hill tribe groups. About an hour and a half drive, sometimes hair-raising at times, over the mountains and hills to the northwest will take you to Bac Ha. Every Sunday morning the roads and trails through the hills surrounding Bac Ha are teeming with ethnic minority people from the neighboring villages and countryside, heading to the weekly market. This is one of the most colorful markets to be found anywhere. Each minority group—Black Hmong, Flower Hmong, Tay, Red Dao, Thai, White Thai, and many more—are clad in their own brightly colored, unique, hand-woven, dyed and sewn outfits that immediately identify their membership in the respective groups. This market, while entertaining some tourists, is largely focused on the local trade, and everything—including food staples, fruits and vegetables, freshly killed meats, seafood, poultry, live animals, farming implements, cloth, yarn, dyes, clothing, footwear, tobacco, rice and corn wine, and just about anything else that you could imagine—is being bought, sold, and bartered for here. Numerous languages are spoken, with Vietnamese being the common language for the market, although it is the second or third dialect for most of the participants. Food vendors encircle the main market, and anything from Pho and other various noodle soups to horse stew and a medley of offal and organ meats seasoned with wild local herbs and chiles can be found and eaten here on roughly hewn low-set wooden tables and benches. The Bac Ha market is an unforgettable experience for an outsider.

Sizzling Crêpes

Banh Xeo

Batter

2-1/4 cups rice flour

2-1/2 cups water

1/2 cup coconut milk (unsweetened, fresh, or canned)

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

1/2 teaspoon yellow curry powder (optional)

2 scallions, very thinly sliced

Filling

1/3 to 1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 pound pork shoulder or country-style boneless ribs, thinly sliced, or 1/2 pound ground pork

1/2 pound small or medium shrimp (peeled and deveined or left in shells with only the legs and tails trimmed)

1/2 cup thinly sliced onion

4 ounces sliced fresh mushrooms such as shiitake, brown crimini, oyster, white button,
etc.
(optional) 4 cups fresh bean sprouts

Garnish and Condiment

16 to 24 lettuce or mustard greens leaves

Fresh herbs (cilantro, Thai basil, red perilla, mint, Vietnamese mint, sorrel, etc.)

Thinly sliced, peeled, and seeded cucumber (optional)

1 cup or more

Basic Vietnamese Dipping Sauce

Serves 4 to 6 as a main dish or 8 to 10 as an appetizer

There are many versions of these omelet-like rice flour crêpes that are named for the sound that they make as they sizzle on the hot skillet. In the center of the country around Hue, where they probably originated, and farther south in Nha Trang, they are called Banh Khoai (delightful crêpes). They are smallish, around 5 to 7 inches in diameter. In Saigon, they are enormous, 12 inches or more across. In the central and northern regions, a simple rice flour batter is used; however, in the south, coconut milk is added for additional richness and crispiness. The traditional filling, described here, is pork and shrimp along with bean sprouts and sometimes sliced mushrooms too, but you could use just about anything you like: sliced chicken, tofu, cooked eggs, various vegetables,
etc.
After cooking, the crêpes are broken into smaller pieces, wrapped in lettuce with fresh herbs, and then dipped in various sauces.

1
Vigorously whisk all the batter ingredients except the scallions in a bowl until smooth. Stir in the scallions and set aside for at least 20 to 30 minutes.

2
Heat an 8-to 12-inch nonstick or well-seasoned cast-iron skillet on high and add a generous amount of oil to coat the pan. Add 1/8 to 1/4 of the total pork, shrimp, onion, and mushrooms, depending on how many crêpes you plan to make. Stir gently while cooking for 30 to 45 seconds, or until starting to color and the onions can be smelled.

3
Stir the batter well and add 1/4 to 1/3 cup to the same pan; swirl around to coat evenly (you want a thin coating). Add about 3/4 to 1 cup of the bean sprouts and spread over half of the crêpe. Lower the heat to medium, cover the pan until the bean sprouts have begun to soften, about 3 minutes or so. Uncover and cook another 3 to 5 minutes, or until the bottom of the crêpe is crispy and golden brown. Lift one side with a spatula and gently fold in half. Serve on a platter with the lettuce, herbs, cucumber, and dipping sauces, or on individual plates or bowls for each diner to assemble his or her wraps.

NOTE:
You may want to cut the crêpes into serving pieces, or let your guests do it themselves for extra entertainment.

Vegetable Dishes

Vegetables play a significant role in the Vietnamese kitchen and on the table. They lend color, flavor, and texture to a recipe and provide essential nutrients to the people who eat them. Sometimes they are the centerpiece of a dish, and other times they are a supporting cast member. Once again, freshness plays a vital role. It is better to select an alternative or forego the vegetable altogether if it means using one that is less than optimally fresh.